An In Vitro Comparative Evaluation of Fracture Strength of Composite Resin and Activa Kids Bioactive Restorative for Use in Strip Crowns

Abstract

Background Advanced stages of early childhood caries requires complex measures such as strip crowns for the anterior teeth and stainless steel crowns for the posterior teeth. Composite resin is the traditional material of choice for use in strip crowns. ACTIVA KIDS Bio ACTIVE-RESTORATIVE is the first bioactive composite with pedo shade delivering all the chemical properties of glass-ionomer cement and physical properties of composite resins.Aim The aim of this study was to compare the fracture strengths of composite resin and ACTIVA KIDS BioActive Restorative Pulpdent USA when used with a strip crown for restoring primary anterior teeth.Methodology Twenty exfoliated non-carious human maxillary primary central and lateral incisors were selected for the study to receive strip crowns and the dimensions were standardized for all the samples. In Group I Composite resin Te-Encom Plus Ivoclar vivadent and in Group II ACTIVA Kids BioActive Restorative Pulpdent USA were used to fill the strip crowns respectively after etching and application of bonding agent. After light curing the samples strip crowns were then removed assessed for fracture strength under Universal testing machine. Fracture strength of both the groups was statistically analyzed and recorded using student ldquotrdquo test.Results The minimum to maximum force obtained was 235.08ndash682.71 N for Group 1 which when compared to Group II 167.57ndash449.29 N was higher. However fracture strength between both the groups p .062 showed no significant difference statistically. Deformation at break percentage has shown significant difference between both the groups p.004 which was higher for Group I 1.34 when compared to Group II 0.68.Conclusion The fracture strength of experimental group restored with ACTIVA Kids Bioactive Restorative was comparable with composite resin when used as a core material inside the strip crown for anterior restorations. ACTIVA Kids Bioactive Restorative can be a better material of choice compared to traditional composite resins because of its excellent chemical and physical properties. The data also showed the fracture strength of ACTIVA Kids Bioactive Restorative to be comparable to composite resins.